


Beats Per Minute

by sahbeL



Series: The Coffee Fix Series [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, April Showers 2015, April Showers Challenge, Dancing, F/M, Festivals, Music, POV Derek Hale, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:50:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3793879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sahbeL/pseuds/sahbeL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes 150 beats per minute to relax Derek Hale. And maybe a certain girl too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beats Per Minute

**Author's Note:**

> N/A: Posting for April Showers Challenge 2015 =) This was originally posted on ffnet. 
> 
> If you guys don't know the girl, go and read The Coffee Fix. I love the idea of Derek Hale discovering that love that makes you feel warm inside. 
> 
> And if you want some BGM, this is the music I had in mind while writing this. 
> 
> \- 'Eyes' by Kaskade  
> \- 'Thing Called Love' by Above & Beyond ft. Richard Bedford  
> \- 'Til The Sky Falls Down' by Dash Berlin (Isaac hardstyle remix) - the 'harder' music.

He’s never been a talkative person. Realistically, he knows that he must’ve been less stoic at an earlier part of his life, but he’s done enough self-evaluating lately to know that people don’t come out of the type of shit he’s been through without some serious damage if they don’t find a way to handle it.   
  
So he handled it.   
  
Shutting everyone out might not have been the best solution to his problems, but it worked. It’s been working quite well, in fact, until two idiot high school kids barrelled into his life and turned his life upside down. Turned his Care Switch on or something, because now? He can’t seem to shut it off as much as he used to.   
  
It doesn’t mean that he still doesn’t have all his walls up. It doesn’t mean he snarls or grunts any less than he used to. But then Leslie says something funny or manages to startle a reaction out of him and in his mind she looks like she’s always bathed in sunshine, and she’s always yanking at his arm and urging him to follow her out into the light.  
  
It’s been a few weeks since they first kissed and as closed off as Derek tries to make himself out to be, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t see things. He’s always been an observant person. It’s probably how he’s stayed alive for as long as he has. With such a rough exterior, he doesn’t get many people approaching him, and this is probably another reason why he’s so intrigued by Leslie. Instead of letting him shut her out, she – somehow, brings out the opposite effect in him.   
  
Their relationship isn’t anything like any of those chick flick, romance movies. They don’t take long walks on the beach or have heartfelt conversations. He’s never given her flowers and she doesn’t text or call him at all hours of the day. She’s messy, unpredictable and cute and aggressive all at the same time. But she’s also quiet and thoughtful and passionate, and he feels like he’s only just scratching the surface with this girl. He doesn’t know what it is about her that makes him blurt out answers to her questions instead of non-verbal grunts. He doesn’t know how she manages to make him smirk or how the hell she even convinced him to put a lollipop in his mouth the other day.   
  
And so he really shouldn’t be surprised when she looks at him one day with a cheeky look on her face.   
  
They’re sitting in their usual spot in the coffee shop, her legs stretched out and feet wriggling in his lap.   
  
“What?” He asks, already wary.   
  
“So…I’ve got these tickets. From work, y’know? There’s two of them. And I was thinking you should be the one – to use the other one, coz…well, you’re my—you’re _you._ Y’know?”

His eyebrows narrow as he stares at her.

“ _What?”_ He asks again, not making sense of anything she just blurted out.   
  
Leslie wriggles her toes again, sits up and pulls her legs back from him and crosses them, still facing him.

“Come to Vegas with me!” she says.

There’s no hesitation in her tone and her expression looks like she’s thinking it’s the best idea she’s ever come up with.   
  
He’s still stuck on what she just said, and he knows he’s looking at her like she’s crazier than usual but _did she just say Vegas?  
  
“What?” _ He repeats again.   
  
She expels a frustrated sigh. “Fine, don’t come with me. I was totally planning on going to this year’s one way before I met you anyway. I just thought it would be a fun getaway, you know? And the music’s gonna be awesome, and all the dancing! And I just thought you’d wanna see, you know, since you—and I totally wasn’t going to ask but—”  
  
“—Les! Breathe.” He’s trying to jump on her train of thought and ignores the fact that she’s not even _Leslie_ to him anymore but an even more endearing _Les._ “Where are you going? What’s in Vegas? Start again.”   
  
She ducks her head and mumbles something at her lap. Derek can’t figure out why she’s being all shy and awkward and suppresses the urge to smile. “I didn’t—I didn’t catch that.”   
  
She sighs again, lifts her head but looks anywhere but at him. “Electric Daisy Carnival.”   
  
He watches her squirm some more before finally taking pity on her. He hasn’t been living under a rock, he knows what that is. “You want me to go with you to a music festival?”   
  
Finally her eyes fall on his face. Her gaze is hopeful and he suddenly knows that she’s been mulling over whether to ask him or not for at least a few days now.  
  
Derek’s always been an observant person and if there’s anyone he’s been observing more than anything these past few months, it’s Leslie. Watching her is how he learned that she needs coffee before any coherent conversation. It’s how he knows that she loves to dance. It’s how he knows that if he tells her no, she’d probably brush it off like it were no big deal, but at the rate that they’d been hanging out…she’d much rather hear him say _yes._  
  
And so he does.

And he flinches as his wolf ears ring with her excited squeal.

 

He doesn’t regret putting that look on her face.   
  
-x-   
  
They’re probably flying half way across Nebraska or something when he thinks to question why she was so nervous about asking him in the first place.   


She glances at him before replying with a shrug.   
  
“You’re grumpy most times. I wasn’t going to force you, but I don’t like getting disappointed.” She looks askance at him again through lashes so thick they could tangle. “And…you can do that now. Disappoint me, y’know?”   
  
He knows she can read him enough for him not to respond out loud.

_I know._  
  
-x-   
  
As they walk into the lobby of their hotel, Derek opens up his senses.

Leslie’s not too far in front of him but he can smell the spike of her excitement and sees it in the bounce of her booted steps. Vegas is all kinds of hot and humid at this time of year and if he’s learned anything, it’s that she’s a creature of comfort, so of course she’s in nothing but a pair of skimpy shorts and a tank top. He doesn’t miss the heated looks she’s been getting since they landed, but Leslie’s either really good at ignoring them or really good at acting oblivious. He guesses the former, being a club dancer and all. But that doesn’t mean it soothes his hackles one little bit.   
  
The heat has made him crankier than usual and he doesn’t appreciate the way the bellhop jumps to Leslie’s aid as she makes her way to the front desk rolling her suitcase beside her. She pauses to decline the bellhop’s offer to help and Derek finds himself removing his sunglasses as he approaches them, stopping just close enough that he’s in Leslie’s personal space.   
  
“We’re fine here.”

He concentrates on belting the guy with his most menacing scowl and he thinks he hears Leslie smother a small laugh.   
  
“Oh. Oh, pardon me sir, I was just—”  
  
“Thanks,” he interrupts, meaning anything but. By now he can feel Leslie’s body shaking with suppressed laughter.   
  
He lets her take pity on the bellhop by shooing him away with a sympathetic smile and looks down at her as she shoots him an amused, slightly scandalised look.   
  
“That was uncalled for, you meanie!” She mock whispers at him, still laughing, not the slightest bit bothered by his sour demeanour.   
  
“Just check us in already, please.”   
  
“Easy, grumpy,” Leslie drawls, lifting a hand to stroke a palm down his 5 o’clock shadow. He resists the urge to nuzzle into her hand – _Nuzzle? …really?_  
  
He tries not to think too much on the fact that she totally just _soothed_ the fuck out of him.   
  
-x-   
  
They’ve got about an hour until they’re meant to be in the lobby for the shuttle bus. He’s never been to one of these things before but by now it’s obvious that Leslie can pretty much convince him to do anything. He’s definitely not a dancer but he does enjoy his fair share of music. He knows what people wear to raves, has seen his fair share of the crazy costumes and whatnot, but – and these were his exact words – _Do not even_ **try** to make me dress up. I’m not doing it.   
  
She just smirked at him.

_Are you kidding me? It’s a miracle you’re even here. I’ll take what I can get._

That had been exactly three hours ago. She’d disappeared into her room (because as long as they’ve been hanging out, sleeping in the same bed still wasn’t one of their “things”) and hadn’t emerged since.  
  
Two hours ago he’d been showered and dressed. He’d decided on some faded jeans and a grey v-neck paired with some black converse. Simple and comfortable. By the time another hour had ticked by, he’d flipped through every channel on TV and had eaten a candy bar. By the end of the third hour, he’d resorted to leaning by the table next to the window with his arms crossed, fingers drumming restlessly against his bicep.   
  
“Les! Seriously, what the hell are you doing in there? It’s been 3 hours!”

_“I had to shower and do my hair!”_

“I’m sure you look fine. Does getting ready for _Wolfsbane_ take as long as this?”

_“Shush, you! This isn’t Wolfsbane.”_  
  
He takes a deep breath and smiles at the scent of her excitement. He hears her spritz herself with the cherry blossom smell; listens to the rattle of bracelets being slipped onto slender wrists.   
  
When she emerges, he struggles not to attack her with his eyes. She’s wearing black converse and even tinier shorts than anything he’d _ever_ seen her in before. The black top she has on barely reaches the bottom of her rib cage, and her toned stomach is flashing a belly piercing with what he can only think to be…feathers? Her arms are bared proud, tattoos prominent in the sunlight, bracelets making small jingling noises as she moves her arms. Her delicate collarbones are dusted with some shiny stuff and she’s beaming at him with an expectant look on her face.   
  
He arranges his own into a serious expression. “Hideous. You look like a car crash.”  
  
She wrinkles her nose at him mischievously. “Shall we go down and get the bellhop’s opinion?”   
  
He feels the corners of his lips turn down into a disapproving frown. Resists the urge (the way he’s been doing quite often lately) to flash his eyes at her in warning. Takes a deep breath to calm the wolf she suddenly woke up.

Six months of hanging out and he still forgets that she’s no ordinary, fearful human girl. She was fearless when it came to him and he still hadn’t unearthed how or why. To say they were _taking things slow_ was probably an understatement. Their relationship didn’t flow the way normal relationships did. Aside from some small kisses and other small gestures of affection, they danced around each other warily.

Don’t get him wrong, it wasn’t that he didn’t want her or she didn’t want him – far from it. It was more that he wasn’t sure of himself around her and that she knew – or could read him – enough not to push him. Could sense that he’d been traumatised or damaged somehow.

Things got complicated when you were mixed up in the supernatural. And that was definitely what they were both mixed up in. Despite her constant teasing and bravado, he sensed the underlying caution in her. Knew or _felt,_ rather, that her experiences with his kind weren’t always as gentle or amazing as what was slowly growing between them. And he knew her wariness wasn’t because she was afraid of him, but more because _she_ could read him really _well._ She held back because she was waiting for _him_ to adjust. For _him_ to be comfortable enough with… _all this._

And he’d never admit it out loud, but he appreciated this about her more than she’d ever know. More often than not, he’d catch himself reacting to her with surprise or amazement at how much space or time she offered him. How she was able to just be therewithout pushing him. How she allowed him to grow into the relationship on his own, without the usual “romantic” expectations that he knew he’d probably screw up anyway.   
  
And so, it had sort of become a silent, mutual agreement that they were taking things slow. He’d never had anyone let _him_ set the pace before, and Derek found it refreshing and frightening all at the same time. He wasn’t used to… _this.  
  
_ It wasn’t until lately though that he’d catch her staring at him with this affectionate look mixed with something else on her face that he couldn’t quite place. And there were times now that he’d catch her reaching out to hold his hand and aborting the action mid-way before their fingertips touched. Leslie was never offended by his skittishness and mostly brushed off her automatic reactions with an embarrassed smile because she knew he wasn’t ready.   
  
But at that moment, seeing her ready for the festival, dressed to impress because – _there’s gonna be a million other girls out there all dressed up and hot as fuck, and I don’t want to look underdressed –_ he couldn’t help but wish that he had at least adjusted enough to feel like it was okay to grab her and squeeze her to him without needing a reason to do it. Because he really, _really,_ wanted to grab her

…and maybe put her in a closet where no other male could see her for the next two days.   
  
“Hey,” Leslie grabs the corner of his shirt; pulls on it with her usual tug and twist. “I was only teasing. You okay?”   
  
Derek brushes off the fact that he’d probably just been standing there staring blindly for longer than any normal person, and lets out a small sigh as the possessive instincts of his wolf slowly abate.   
  
“You look great, you know?” He replies.   
  
She steps back to give him a once over. “You’re not so bad yourself. Are you sure you don’t want me to draw daisies on your face?” She teases.  
  
He smirks at her. “Not a chance.”   
  
-x-   
  
Four hours into the festival and Derek doesn’t know how the hell he’s got daisies drawn on his arms with neon paint. He stares down at them and huffs with resignation. It may have had something to do with Leslie flashing a small smile at him – _If you let me draw on you_ , _I’ll let you guess what flavour lollipop I just finished._

**_And how exactly am I going to do that?_ **

_Well…with your mouth of course._

– Needless to say…It’s just paint, right?  
  
The sun’s setting in the horizon and it’s starting to get cool in the desert. Leslie doesn’t seem too bothered by the slight chill as he watches her bounce in time to the tunes of Above & Beyond _(and yes, he knows Above & Beyond)._ He’s honed in on her scent and doesn’t need any more bourbon and coke to feel all kinds of drunk as he wraps himself in the sweetness of her enjoyment and the warm way she embraces the hypnotising beat of the bass.   
  
She spins towards him, moving her arms in a _come here_ motion trying to coax him for the umpteenth time that day to dance with her. But no, Derek doesn’t dance. He shakes his head at her in amusement; doesn’t move from the spot he’s got leaning against a fence and continues to slightly tap his foot to the beat.   
  
He smiles at her affectionately as she waves her arms up to the sky, palms wide and open – _welcoming –_ like she’s trying to absorb everything all at once. Like the music brings her so much joy. If Derek didn’t know any better, he’d think that she was definitely on something, but they’d been together all day and he knew for a fact that all she’d been having were mojitos, lollipops and water.   
  
She’s looking at him again, content with him not dancing as she mouths the lyrics to him. _You live your life just once, so don't forget about a thing called love, don’t forget, forget about a thing called love.  
  
_ As the song ends and the DJs change over, she bounces over to stand beside him, fingers pulling lightly at the corner of his shirt as they both watch the stage. They stand together as some Trance starts to play and Derek’s not really paying attention to the music as he focuses his senses on Leslie; reassures himself that she’s not starting to get cold and internally chastises the both of them for not remembering to bring any extra clothing.  
  
He knows he’s probably wearing a dumb, blissed out smile on his face (all because of her!) and he watches absently as she levels him with a curious almost surprised look of her own.   
  
“You like this music?” She doesn’t have to raise her voice very much, but he’s confused by her surprise.   
  
“It’s okay. Why?”   
  
She tries to hide a smirk as she looks away and brushes the question off. “Nothing.”   
  
“No, what? Tell me.” He urges as he grabs her arm and weaves their fingers together.   
  
She shakes her head thoughtfully.   
  
“It’s nothing, really. I just – I expected you to like something… _harder.”_

Now he’s the one confused. _Harder?_ He catches a slight hint of disappointment in her smell and in her eyes and all of a sudden he wants to know what “harder” _really_ sounds like.   
  
“You don’t like this?” He asks, nodding towards the stage.   
  
“No it’s fine, I just thought – don’t worry about it,” She smiles at him in amusement. Shoots him a look like she’s sad that he’s missing out on…something and then tries to untangle their fingers so she can start dancing to the _spacier_ music with less bass and more melody.   
  
Derek tightens his grip on her fingers. Doesn’t let her go and slowly tugs her back into him instead so that her back is snugged up against his chest. He brings both his arms around her, one hand still clutching her small one and wrapping her own arm around herself in the process. And then he leans down so that his mouth is level with her ear.   
  
“Show me,” he urges.   
  
Leslie turns just enough to meet his eyes and their faces are close enough that their breaths mingle with each other, and he wonders why in the hell this is the first time he’s been to a music festival, because Jesus Christ, music festivals are _awesome._  
  
She squeezes his hand tightly before unwrapping herself from his embrace and bouncing towards a stage on the other side of the festival. He likes that she keeps her hand locked with his as she weaves her way through the crowd. Derek lets her hazelnut-cherry-blossom smell envelope him. Follows almost blindly as she weaves, and weaves, and keeps weaving.   
  
By the time she stops, they’re in the centre of another crowd. There’s not enough space for her to dance a few feet away like she’d been doing at the other stage, but it’s not crowded enough to give him reason to pull her back (and keep her) in his arms. The music reaches his ears and he finds himself frowning a little bit when all he hears is a melodic feminine voice.   
  
_I’ll be waiting, til the sky falls down, til you come around, baby.  
  
_ He frowns even more when the sound of a piano rings through the air. He shoots her a glance wondering if this is another one of her tricks, but she’s just patiently watching the stage with a content look on her face.   
  
“This isn’t—” he starts to say, but stops when she turns to him with a smile and a finger to her lips.   
  
“Wait for it,” she murmurs, excitement thrumming through her. He can almost see the hairs on her arms rise as the melody continues to play. She’s swaying softly to the music and Derek doesn’t move as she takes a step closer towards him, hands coming to rest softly on his hips.   
  
_I’ll be waiting, til the sky falls down. Let the rain clouds come._  
  


An electric sound joins the melody of the piano and he finds himself _rising_ with the music. Rising, and falling and rising again until he’s yearning for the drop he knows _feels_ is coming.   
  
Leslie starts to bounce on the balls of her feet in front of him as the music climbs higher. And she’s watching his face as a different melody chimes in and she starts to move her arms as the music’s beat drops. And he knows that _she knows_ that he’s feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the music’s bass comes down _hard.  
  
I’ll be waiting til the sky falls down. Let the rain clouds come!  
  
_ He can’t help the way his head starts to nod with the beat, and Leslie’s got this satisfied look on her face as she continues to move to the music. She moves in a way he’s never seen her do at _Wolfsbane._

Couldn’t jump like this there, the music would never be hard enough. He knew that now.   
  
Soon Derek finds himself moving to 150 beats per minute and enjoying it more than he thought he would. And Leslie’s dancing in front of him, never breaking eye contact but not touching him either.

Her hands alternate from palms up (like she’s asking for more) to palms down, to closed fists, to open palms as she moves her arms in front of her. She’s bouncing smoothly like there’s no beat she loves more, and her smile grows wide enough that he can see the whites of her teeth. She’s got this look on her face like she’s ever so _pleased_ that he’s appreciating this harder sound rather than hating it.  
  
And Derek _likes_ it.   
  
He likes the rawness blasting from the speakers. Likes the way the bass makes his body vibrate and the way it’s making his skin tingle.   
  
And how hadn’t he known about this music before now?   
  
Where had it been while he was making use of his restless energy during countless hours of gym sessions and dates with his punching bag?  
  
How had he not heard or listened to this during the countless times Leslie had sat beside him with her earphones blasting in her ears.  
  
He’s pumping a fist between them now as he nods his head to the beat, and Leslie bounces forward and weaves her fingers through both of his hands. She raises their interlocked fingers higher as she continues to jump in front of him and twist her hips back and forth. Her smile is like sunshine and he doesn’t know how she does it again, but Derek feels himself relax even more. The music halts all other thoughts inside of him aside from the beat pounding through his system and _Leslie_.   
  
This time he doesn’t hesitate spinning and pulling her into his arms as the song dies down and fades into another. He keeps their fingers intertwined as he tucks her back against his chest. They both sway to the beat of the music and her scent envelopes him. He feels her shiver slightly as the temperature drops with the sun and he tightens his arms around her shoulders and blows a warm breath over the nape of her neck. She giggles ticklishly, goose pimples rising on her skin.   
  
In the back of his mind he knows that this is probably a momentous occasion and some sort of breakthrough for their relationship, but he pushes it aside, choosing instead to just stay in the moment. Their bodies are closer than they’d ever been before and he smells her relaxed happiness. Feels it in the steady beat of her heart, slower and softer than the bass blasting around them. Leslie leans her head back against his shoulder, energetic bouncing fading to a more subdued sway as she adjusts herself to the movement of his body. She fits into him perfectly and he’s quick to wonder how he could’ve gone this long without holding her.   
  
-x-  
  
The time is past 2AM when the lights and sounds of EDC are finally far behind them instead of around them. They stroll hand in hand through haphazardly parked cars, shoes crunching dirt and sand at their feet. The breeze is bordering sharp and harsh but Derek feels the heat coming off her in waves and he knows that she’s not uncomfortable. She’s wearing a small, thoughtful smile on her face and the moon lights it up softly as she turns her head up to meet his gaze.   
  
“’M glad you came.” He almost doesn’t hear it from how soft she breathes it.  
  
It makes him pause for a second, and he finds himself thanking his super hearing just because he knows that maybe she wasn’t sure she should’ve said it out loud in the first place.  
  
“Are you?” She continues softly.   
  
The moon casts shadows around them as they stand in the middle of the parking lot, fingers tangled in each other.   
  
“Am I what?” he asks, momentarily losing the conversation.   
  
“Glad you came.” She clarifies. “Are you glad you came?”   
  
_You’re grumpy most times. I wasn’t going to force you –_ There’s uncertainty in her eyes and he feels a little bad that he hadn’t _shown_ her enough to be sure. __  
  
Derek takes a step closer towards her and cups her face gently.   
  
“Yes. I’m glad I came.” He leans his head down to plant a soft kiss on her lips and whispers against her mouth, “I’m glad I came with you, Les.”  
  
He feels her smile against his lips.  


-x-

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact about me, I love a music genre called Hardstyle (yes, it sounds like that remix of 'til the sky falls down'), more bass and definitely harder. I know its not everyone's cup of tea, but if you ever find yourself at one of the raves/festivals with this type of music, you'll know what I mean when I say that it's the best place to be, especially in that moment when the melody's about to kick in and you take a second to look around and see that everyone around you is feeling the exact same thing, which is the love and appreciation for this music and smiles all around. It's not like edm events where you walk up to someone and they have no idea who they're there to see, lol. Or where you can tell that people are just there to get effd up, (which is, unfortunately is the negative stigma for festivals and raves these days). 
> 
> Anyway, I was inspired by the music. And maybe I was just missing the scene a little when I wrote this =)
> 
> Would love to know what you guys think. Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
